Sasuke: Shitsuraiden
by AnimeEmperor
Summary: This is a Naruto story where the roles of Sasuke and Naruto are reversed AND instead of the Akatsuki, it's the Jinchūriki are the problem. The whole world's getting flipped.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Naruto.**

Chapter 1: The Hawk's Return

On a clear blue sky in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a group of kids were talking to each other over radio.

"Did you find it?" a boy asked.

"All clear over hear," said another.

"Target acquired!" a girl spoke up.

A figure covered in shadows jumped out of the leaves and through the grass fields. The three youths also covered in shadows ran after it.

"On no! It's heading for the village!" the second boy spoke up.

"No way it's getting away!" said the first.

As the three continued to chase the figure, they caused trouble all over wherever they went. Cups and plates where broken, containers of food where spilt, fences where broken. Eventually, the figure was cornered in a dark alley, claws scratching at the wall. As two of the youths slowly approached it, the creature began to hiss. The girl then reached for the collar around her neck that acted as a radio.

"Hey, Konohamaru," said the girl. "We got the target in a corner."

"Hurry up," said the second boy. "It's gonna get away."

"No problem!" the boy shouted as he jumped off the building roof. He landed on the target which, in turn, caused a small skirmish to take place.

"Konohamaru!" the two children spoke up in worry.

As the dust settled, it showed a 12-year old boy with short spiky brown hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a long blue scarf. In his arms was a cat with a ribbon on its ear, struggling to get free.

"Got the little rascal," he said with a smile.

"A ribbon on the right ear," said the second boy, who had short brown hair, dark eyes, and was wearing glasses. This was Udon. "No doubt about it you guys."

"Ebisu-sensei, the target has been acquired," said the girl. She had orange hair tied up, with red elastics, into very large pigtails. This was Moegi. "We have Tora in custody."

"Looks like another mission complete," Konohamaru said with a laugh. That laughter quickly turned to tears and screams as Tora started clawing at his face.

 **(The Mission Office)**

"Oh thank goodness! My precious little Tora dear!" cried a women with joy as she rubbed her face against the cat's. "I was worried to death about you! Where have you been, you notty kitty!"

"If that old windbag was my master I'd probably run for the hills to," said Konohamaru.

"Quiet, Konohamaru," said the man named Ebisu.

"Alright, here's your fee," said the women. "Now come along shnookums, time to come home."

As the cat wined in agony from being carried away, Ebisu turned his attention to the three children.

"It was a simple case of a lost cat. Do you know how long you've been out there?"

"Yeah, but Sensei," said Udon. "That cat was faster than lightning."

"It was almost like it had run off before," Moegi added.

"I don't wanna hear it. A mission of this delicate nature requires speed and precision, which you three are sorely lacking in. You need more training."

"Well how do you expect me to push my limits on a lame mission like this one?" asked Konohamaru. The boy turned his attention to one of the four people sitting at the desk in front of them. "Hey, Anko-sensei, don't you have anything flashier for me?"

Anko was a fairly tall women with purple hair tied up in a ponytail and wearing an overcoat.

"A flashy mission? For a genin? Yeah, sorry, but not gonna happen."

"That's right," said Ebisu. "You three screw-ups only just made genin-level. No one's going to assign you to higher ranked mission right out of the gate."

The next one to speak was a beautiful women at the center of the desk that had blond hair and purple diamond mark on her forehead. This was the current Hokage, the leader of the Leaf Village, Tsunade.

"All you'll be getting is D-ranked for now," she said. Konohamaru sank down to the floor with his arms crossed in response to that.

"Hmph. I'm not taking no for an answer. After all, you're looking at the 7th Hokage."

"The 7th?" asked Tsunade. "What about the 6th Hokage?"

"That spot's taken. Sasuke's gonna get it." That answer surprised all the adults there.

The three were soon excused and were walking out of the Hokage's office.

"Yeah, speaking of Sasuke..." said Udon.

"I wonder where he even is right now," Moegi finished.

"I bet when he comes back, he'll have become an awesome shinobi," said Konohamaru. "I believe in him 100%."

As the three walked away, the four that were at the desk watched them.

"7th Hokage, perhaps. But definitely another idiot. Not all that different from Sasuke actually," said a man with ash-grey hair kept in a ponytail. This was Kabuto.

Anko couldn't help but smile at the thought of the boy.

 _I sure hope you're doing okey out there, Sasuke,_ she thought. "It's been quite a while since any of us have last seen him. And to think, he's been training with Orochimaru-sensei this whole time."

"Yes, it's about time for him to come home, isn't it?" asked a young women with black eyes and shoulder-length black hair. This woman was named Shizune.

"The Leaf Village needs him to return," said Tsunade. "There's too much happening for him to be away now.

At that moment, at the Leaf Village's main gate, two male figures where passing through into the village. One a teenager and the other an adult. The two Leaf shinobi who were on guard had their attention caught by the two passing men.

"Hey now," said one. "Is that who I think it is?"

"Uh-huh," said the other. "No doubt about it."

In the village was a teenage girl with short pink hair and green eyes wearing red walked through the streets of the village.

"Hey Sakura!" called a voice. The girl looked back to see Team Ebisu.

"Oh, high Konohamaru," she said.

"So where are you off to?"

"The main gate. I have to pick up this morning's pedestrian traffic lessieur for Lady Tsunade. Do you wanna come along?"

On the road on the other side of the the buildings right next to them, the two men were walking towards the Hokage manoir.

"It's been about two and a half years," said the teen.

"So it has," said the man.

As the two walked, Sakura and the children unknowingly passed them.

"Then the cat went nutso and started scratching my face off," Konohamaru said, causing Sakura to laugh.

"We had missions just like that. Brings back a lot of memories."

"Hey, by the way, have you gotten word or anything from Sasuke?"

"No. Nothing yet."

"Aw, too bad."

"But he should be popping up around here pretty soon though."

They continued to walk until they reached their destination.

"Hey Izumo, Kotetsu," Sakura said to the two. "How are you today?"

"Well look who's here," said Kotetsu. "But it's not here you should be." This caused the kids to be confused. "Something's waiting for you back in town."

"Yeah, you'd have to see it to believe it," said Isumo.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Sasuke.

Sakura suddenly caught on and turned her attention towards town.

"No way," she said.

Back in said village, the boy dropped his backpack and started running up to the top of a pole. The man who had white skin and long black hair couldn't help but chuckle.

"I suppose I can't blame him," said Orochimaru.

As he reached the top, he took a big, good, long look.

"This place hasn't changed at all," Sasuke Uchiha said with a smile.

 **(Opening: Hero's Come Back!: replace Naruto with Sasuke, Iruka with Anko, Gaara with OC, put another OC in with Kankuro and Temari, Sasuke with Naruto)**

Sasuke was now wearing dark blue pants, over which hung a blue cloth that covered him from his stomach to his knees, which he secured with a purple rope belt, which was used to hold his sheathed sword. His outfit was completed with a white long-sleeved shirt kept open at the torso and black arm guards that cover his forearms. And of course, his black headband was tied around his forehead.

"Gotta say, this place sure brings back some memories." He then noticed something different when he looked up and the Great Stone Faces of the Hokage. "Look at that. They finally added Lady Tsunade's face up there."

Sakura and the kids ran up to see Sasuke standing at the top of the pole.

"Is it...Is it really him?" asked Sakura.

"Looks like!" said Konohamaru.

"Sasuke?! Sasuke, is that you?!" called Sakura. Sasuke looked down to see them. "When did you get back to the village, Sasuke?!"

"Oh, Sakura! Just know!"

Sasuke then jumped down off the pole. When he landed, he wasn't able to say a single word before Sakura ran up and caught him in a hug. They stayed that way for a few seconds before Sakura realized what she was doing and pulled back with a blush on her face, seeing that Sasuke's face was the same.

"Yeah...So...Uh...High."

"High yourself," she said. There was an awkward silence between them before Sakura spoke again. "So, um, what do you think? Do I seem more like a woman to you now?"

"M-More like a woman?" Sasuke asked with a deepening blush. "W-Well you definitely seem more...grown up since the last time I saw you," he managed to say, causing Sakura to chuckle.

"Nicely done there, Sasuke," Orochimaru said with a sly grin.

"Oh, don't you start, Master," Sasuke said, irritated but still blushing.

"Master Orochimaru, good to see you again to," said Sakura.

"A pleasure to see you as well, child," said the snake sannin.

"Hey, Sasuke!" said Konohamaru. Sasuke turned to see something that took him, Sakura, and Orochimaru by surprise. "Well, what do you think?" he asked after turning back. He got his answer when Sasuke delivered a hard chop to his head.

"I think I told you to stop doing stuff like that!" he said with an irritated look on his face. "You keep up doing lewd things like that and the only thing your gonna do is embarrass yourself _and_ your team!"

"It's not lewd! It's my secret weapon!"

 _Oh, Sasuke,_ thought Sakura with a dreamy look on her face as she looked at him as he scolded Konohamaru. _I don't know how it's possible, but you've gotten even cooler!_

 **(At the Hokage's manor)**

"It's been a long time you two," said Tsunade. "Your training proved to be fruitful, I hope."

"You think I would have brought the boy back with no results?" asked Orochimaru.

"You don't need to worry, Lady Tsunade," said Sasuke. "I have grown stronger, make no mistake on that."

"Huh, I'm glad to hear it. Show me what you got, kid," said Tsunade.

"Ok. How so?"

"I have someone I'd like you to go up against. I've kept him off missions that last few days so he'd be ready for just this moment. You're opponent will be..." before she could finish though, there was a knock on the door. "Come in."

As the door opened, they turned to see two people come in. One was a teenage boy with black hair and had a bored expression on his face while the other was a girl that was a few years olders with blond hair tied in four pigtails and had green eyes.

"Hey, Shikamaru, Temari, look what the cat dragged in," said Sakura as she pointed to Sasuke, who they were surprised to see.

"Is that...It is! Sasuke, it's you," said Shikamaru.

"Well now, if it isn't Shikamaru," said Sasuke with a smile.

 _Is that the same little emo?_ thought Temari.

"Well well, you're back, huh?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yeah, just got back today."

"Look at you! Who would believe that you're the same emo from class?"

"...Hold on! Who are you calling an emo?!" Sasuke growled, causing the others to laugh. "Hold on, so then does this mean you're my opponent, Shikamaru?"

"Opponent? What are you talking about? I just came over here to drop off some paperwork."

"So then…" He turned his attention to Temari.

"Don't look at me."

"Sasuke, you won't find your opponent in here," said Tsunade. She then pointed to the window to her right. "He's out there."

Sasuke walked towards the window and looked around until he saw a familiar face sitting on the lower roof.

"So, Sasuke. You went and got all grown up," said a man with spiky white, wearing a mask and had his headband covering his left eye.

"Kakashi," Sasuke said with a smile. He jumped onto the roof and walked over. "Look at you. You haven't changed a bit. By the way, I went and got you something."

"Hm?"

"Just like old times, huh?" Tsunade asked Sakura.

"Yeah," said the pinkette.

"NO WAY!" cried Kakashi in surprise. "It… It couldn't be… But it must be… Is that… Is that really…"

"Make-Out Tactics," said Sasuke as he handed the book over to Kakashi. "Master Orochimaru and I discovered its completed manuscript during our travels in Master Jiraiya's things. He passed before he could have it published and released. Although, I still can't understand why you like reading these porn novels."

 _Yes, that might very well be the only downside to Jiraiya's righting,_ thought Orochimaru.

Kakashi was laughing in joy like a little kid as he opened the book.

"Calm down," said Tsunade. "This is no time to be fooling around Kakashi." Kakashi listened to her and put the book away.

"So then, you're my opponent?" asked Sasuke.

"Well, you're half right." Kakashi then walked over to the window were his other student stood. "Hm. Been a long time, hasn't it, Sakura?"

"Yes it has, Sensei."

"So as to who my opponent will be…" Orochimaru smiled, catching on to what Tsunade had planned. "It's Sasuke and Sakura. The two of you." This surprised both students.

"Huh? Both of us at the same time, Kakashi?" asked Sasuke.

"That's right," said Tsunade. "Kakashi will put you to the test. How well you do against him will determine your future statis."

"Hah. There future statis," Shikamaru commented.

"Sakura. It's time to show that your training with me wasn't a waste of time."

"Right."

"So, shall we get started?" asked Kakashi, getting their attention. "Ok. You're right. You just got back, Sasuke. You must be tired. We'll give you a chance to rest first."

"Rest? What do you mean? I feel fine."

"No, you take it easy. I'll meet you later at the training grounds. So long." With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Well, that was odd," said Kabuto.

"Yes, he seemed in a hurry," said Shizune.

"Yeah, and I have a pretty good idea why," said Tsunade.

"Can't wait to read that book," said Shikamaru.

"Should have known," Sasuke grumbled.

"That explains it," said Sakura. "That gleam in his eye."

"Kakashi Hatake, the famous Copy Ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village, choosing to read a porn novel before anything else," saighed Orochimaru.

 **(In the village streets)**

"How typical," complained Sasuke as he and Sakura walked through the village. "I should have waited till afterwards to give him that book."

"No accounting for taste," said Sakura. "At least now we'll have time to discuss strategy."

Sasuke then turned his attention to Shikamaru and Temari who were following them from behind.

"By the way Temari, what are you doing here in the Leaf anyway?"

"Since you obviously don't know," said Temari, "the Chūnin Exams are about to start. I've been busy running back and forth between your village and mine getting ready for them."

"Yeah, that's right," said Shikamaru. "And I'm her escort. It's a drag and don't ask how it happened, but I've been put in charge of organizing the Chūnin Exams."

"I see. The Chūnin Exams, huh? Man, that brings back some memories."

"Yeah, well speaking of which, what are you going to do, Sasuke?" asked Shikamaru.

"Hm? About what?"

"What do you think? About the Chūnin Exams. You're the only one in our year who isn't a Chūnin. Everyone is but you."

Sasuke was quite for a moment, allowing the new information to sink in. He then had a strained look of disbelief on his face. He slowly and mechanically turned his head towards Sakura.

"S-Sakura? Y-You're a...a Chūnin?" Sakura responded with a proud smile.

"That right," she giggled, flashing a peace sign.

"Oh, you haven't even heard the half of it," said Shikamaru. "Kankurō, Kogeta, Neji, and Temari here. They've even taken it a step further. They've already been made Jōnin."

"Wha…?! Jōnin…?!" A thought then came to Sasuke's mind. "Hold on. What about Jishaku? What's he?"

 **(In the Hidden Sand Village)**

At the top of the central building in the village, stood a teenage boy watching over the buildings. He was about the same age as Sasuke and the others. He had short spiky black hair and violet eyes. Behind him, a man named Baki walked up and got down on one knee.

"Lord Kazekage," he said. "The meating is about to begin.

"Alright then. Let's go."

 **(In the Hidden Leaf Village)**

"...I see. Kazekage already, huh?" The others were slightly surprised when they saw Sasuke smile. "That bastard. He got ahead of me. Well, I'm not about to let him outdo me just yet." He then turned his attention towards the Great Stone Faces of the Hokage. He reached out his hand towards them and grasped it. "Just watch, Jishaku. Next, it's my turn."

Sakura couldn't help but smile warmly at Sasuke.

Meanwhile, with Kakashi, he was leaning against a fence reading his new book.

"I can't believe there are people who actually read those books," said a voice. Kakashi looked up to see Orochimaru. They were soon sitting down together at a tea house. "I'm handing Sasuke back over to you, as promised."

"I can see he's grown alright, but has he grown up?"

"Are you implying I haven't done my job as a teacher? Go ahead then. Underestimate him. You'll be the one paying for it."

"Well, that sounds encouraging."

Orochimaru's face then became serious as he changed the subject.

"The ones we've been watching are close to making their move."

 **(The Hidden Sand's Council Room)**

"Over the last few years, our village has enjoyed stability and prosperity," said Baki. "Largely due to our dealings with the hidden villages of the allied lands. To give one example of this, our recruits have better training thanks to new training methods. Methods learned from the Leaf Village."

"We'll see how much better they are," said an elder council member. "The Chūnin Exams are almost upon us."

"Correct," said a younger council member. "And that's why these nasty rumors are especially troubling right now."

"Rumors, Yūra?" asked Baki.

"Yes sir. Have you ever heard of a group called the Akatsuki? Rumor has it, that they've been working for a mysterious newly founded village. The Village Hidden in the Shadows."

Jishaku's face became stern upon hearing of that village.

 **(The Hidden Leaf)**

"I see," said Kakashi. "So they're finally coming out of the woodwork."

"It's hardly a surprise," said Orochimaru. "It was only a matter of time before they made their move."

"The Akatsuki and the Shadow."

 **(The Hidden Sand)**

"The Akatsuki is a mysterious organization," said Yūra, "comprised of a dozen or so shinobi. Everyone of its members is listed in the Bingo Book as ruthless S-Ranked criminals. Of those that have been identified, one is Itachi Uchiha of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. A man who anielated his own clan in a single night. As for the Village Hidden in the Shadows, they are a shinobi village shrouded in mystery that we know almost nothing about. It is believed though that the Akatsuki were once an enemy of the Shadow, but under unknown circumstances, they now have been known to do dealings with them. All we know for certain is that they have nine particular shinobi in their ranks. Shinobi that who we all are fully aware of."

Jishaku narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

"The Jinchūriki."

 **(The Hidden Leaf)**

"So why do you think they're finally showing their hand?" asked Kakashi. "What are they after?"

"Their ultimate objective is still unknown," said Orochimaru, "but one thing is certain. For some reason that we are unaware of, they want Sasuke. Perhaps for the Sharingan, or perhaps for that mysterious Curse Mark that appeared on Sasuke out of nowhere. Whatever the reason, the fact is they want him. That's why I've been traveling, informing all our allies of them. Whatever it is, something is approaching, so they best prepare themselves."

 **(The Hidden Sand)**

"That's right," said Yūra. "For whatever the reason, all nine Jinchūriki abandoned their villages just over three years ago. Including our village's oun Jinchūriki, Gaara of the Desert. Not long after, the Hidden Shadow was founded. But it's precise location, we do not know."

"I see," said Baki. "Yes, I've heard something of this myself recently. So they're finally making their move."

"We have this information from one of the legendary sannin. Master Orochimaru himself. So before this meeting was convened, I took the liberty of the village to be secured. And I've stationed Anbu Black Ops at key points on the perimeter. No matter how clever these shinobi may be, if they hope to take us by surprise, they're mistaken. We've heard that the Akatsuki members often wear distinctive black cloaks emblazing with red clouds. If our look outs spot such a cloak, they've been ordered by me to attack at once."

The other council members spoke their approval all around.

"Very well then," said Baki. "This meeting is adjourned."

 **(In the desert)**

At that time, two figures were making their way towards the village. One was tall while the other one was short and hunched over. They both wore straw hats with paper curtains to cover their faces, as well as the cloaks of the Akatsuki.

"I still can't believe we're doing this," said the tall one.

"The pay is good, so it can't be helped," said the low hunched one with a gruff voice. "Are you sure what you've got in that pouch will be enough? Our enemy is the Kazekage."

"Everyone of my Jutsu is a work of art. But just to be sure, I brought along my masterpiece. Hm." He opened up the pouch to reveal white clay. He stuck his hand in and allowed the mouth on his palm to starting eating the clay. "Like you said, we can't take any chances when our opponent is the Kazekage."

 **(In the Hidden Leaf)**

At the old training grounds, Sasuke and Sakura were leaning against the wire fence. Sasuke with a very irritated look on his face.

"Why the hell does Kakashi do this to us every time?" he asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Sakura.

In a puff of smoke, they turned their heads to see Kakashi crouch standing on the fence.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I, uh, ran into this poor old lady who needed help carrying some-"

"Would you give us a break?!" the two shouted in unison, shutting him up.

Soon, Kakashi led them to a place in the training grounds with three wooden posts. A place that was very familiar to them.

"It's been a while since I've been here," said Sasuke. As he looked at the posts, Sasuke thought back to the that time.

"Oh, that's right," said Kakashi. "This was the sight of your very first training lesson, wasn't it?"

"...It was Team 7," said Sakura as she looked down.

"The three of us together," said Sasuke as he did the same.

"That's right," said Kakashi. "We had Naruto with us back then, didn't we?" He looked up to see that the two were now on the ground moping, mumbling Naruto's name. He could have sworn he saw a dark aura bearing down on them. _I guess Naruto's name is taboo to these guys._

At the sound of bells jingling, the two looked back up to see two bells in Kakashi's hands.

"Alright, show me how far you've come. After all, you haven't given up on your Naruto, have you?"

"Not a chance," said Sakura.

"What do you think I've been training for?" asked Sasuke.

Kakashi gave his mask smile as he but the bells on his belt.

"The rules are the same as they were that first day: I don't care how you do it, just get these bells away from me. And remember…"

"If we're not prepared to kill you…" said Sasuke.

"We won't get the bells, we know," finished Sakura.

"Hmph. Exactly. Show no mercy if you ever hope to get these bells. You've got till sunrise tomorrow." Sasuke grabbed the hilt of his sword while Sakura put on a pair of sparring gloves. At this, Kakashi shut his book. "Ok, shall we get started?"

"You gonna be reading that book the whole time like you did last time, Kakashi?" asked Sasuke as he activated his Sharingan.

"No he won't," said Sakura. "I bet he already finished reading it."

"Not quite, but I'm going to save that little pleasure for later. Besides, I've got a feeling I better keep on my toes. It's a whole new ballgame." Kakashi then reached up to his headband and straightened it out, revealing the Sharingan in his left eye. "This time it's serious."

 **(At the outer walls surrounding the Hidden Sand)**

All was calm. As the Hidden Sand shinobi stood guard across the various levels of the wall, all they could see and hear where the deserts endless sea of sand and the winds carrying more sand. That was until one of them saw two shadowy figures walking towards them.

"What have we hear?" he asked. As they got closer, he was able to see them more clearly, and he didn't like what he saw. "Black cloaks with red clouds on them. It's them, it must be. Captain Yūra must be told at once." He turned to leave, but saw a person standing there that he did not recognize. "Who are you?"

It took a while, but the two eventually arrived at the entrance to the village. Standing before them was the person who was before the guard. He was a fairly tall young man, around the same age as Temari, with a rather fit physique and spiky taupe grey hair combed backwards except for two bangs. He also had a number of scars covering his body. On his green shirt to patches of blood, and behind him were numerous dead bodies of Sand shinobi.

"Good work, boy," said the hunched one. "You must be the inside contact we heard about."

"That's right. My name is Shira, and I am proud to call myself a servant of Lord Gaara."

 **(In the Hidden Leaf)**

While the three of them were getting into their stances, Orochimaru, Tsunade, even Shizune and Kabuto were watching from the trees.

 **"** **Ready...Start."**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Naruto.**

Chapter 2: The Results of Training

"Ready...Start."

At those words, Sasuke reached into both his sleeves and through some shuriken at Kakashi. Said ninja crouched down to dodge and responded by throwing some shuriken right back at Sasuke, who dodged by leaping over. While he was in the air, Kakashi saw this a the perfect chance to through more shuriken at him. Sasuke responded by grabbing his sword and deflecting all of them.

"Impressive," said Kakashi.

 _Nice,_ thought Sakura. _His Sharingan combined with his sword skills allowed him to deflect all of them._

As Sasuke landed, he was about to lounge towards Kakashi. But the Copy Ninja was faster and got behind Sasuke, grabbing his sword arm and grabbing the back of his head, putting him in a lock.

"That'll be enough of that," he said. _He's growing up right before my eyes. And not only that..._ Kakashi looked over to see a snake had come out of Sasuke sleeve and had coiled itself around Kakashi's right arm, prepared to bite when ordered.

"That's the way," said Orochimaru.

"Amazing," said Kabuto.

"Not bad," said Tsunade.

"Incredible," said Shizune.

"You've matured, haven't you Sasuke?" Kakashi asked with a smile.

Sasuke smirked before having the snake bite down on Kakashi. His eyes widened before turning into a puff of smoke.

"You think I don't know a Shadow Clone when I see one, Kakashi?"

 **(Insert Opening Here)**

At the entrance to the Hidden Sand, Shira stood there in front of the two Akatsuki members.

"Gaara, you say?" said the tall one. "I didn't think anyone from this village would even think about serving the 1-Tail."

"The reasons for my servitude to him aren't important right now," said Shira.

"Indeed," said the hunched one. "Now then, let's be off."

As they traveled through the cavern passage, the tall one looked at the mouth on his palm, chewing on clay. As the exited the cavern, the mouth stuck its tongue out, along with the chewed up clay. With a few quick molds, the clay had taken the shape of a bird.

"You can watch from here, Sasori my man," he said as he threw the bird to the ground.

With a few hand signs, in a puff of smoke the bird had grown till it's wingspan was about 24-feet. He then jumped onto the birds back and took off his hat, revealing his right slanted blue eye while the other was covered with the bangs of his long golden blond hair which was worn drawn into a half ponytail while the rest hanged down freely. On his forehead was headband that showed he was a rouge from the Hidden Stone Village.

"Leave it to me," he said. "I'll attack from above. Beautiful, isn't it?" he commented about the bird. "What do you think of my creation, hm?"

"Just don't keep me waiting too long, Deidara," said Sasori.

Deidara chuckled at this before the clay bird started to flap its wings. With a few good flaps, it and Deidara were soon flying through the air over the Hidden Sand.

 _The 5th Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village of the Land of Wind, Jishaku of the Magnet Style, hm,_ he thought. _Let's see what he can do._ As he thought that, the sun started to set, painting the sky orange.

 **(The Hidden Leaf)**

"Sakura, he's behind you, beneath the surface," said Sasuke.

Sakura was a little surprised at this.

"What? How do you…?"

"My Sharingan, remember? These eyes of mine let me see chakra in colors. I can see Kakashi's chakra, clear as day."

"I see," Sakura said as she turned around. "In that case…"

She then tightened her fist and threw it at the ground, causing the entire ground before her tear up and erupt. The shaking caused by it caused Sasuke to struggle at keeping his balance. When he regained it, he stared at Sakura with a shocked dumbfounded face. As the dust cleared, Kakashi was revealed, staring at Sakura with the same face.

 _What ridiculous strength,_ thought the Copy Ninja.

"Yes," said Tsunade. "Nicely done."

 _So, looks like the 5th Hokage's been teaching her more than just Medical Ninjutsu,_ thought Kakashi.

"That quick temper and monster strength," said Orochimaru. "Oh Tsunade, you've gone and turned Sakura into a junior version of yourself."

"You're one to talk, Orochimaru," said the slug princess. "That smug smirk and those sword skills remind me of you back in your teenage years."

"Kakashi-sensei."

"Huh?"

"Found you, didn't I?"

 _I'm gonna have to remember never to make that woman mad,_ thought Sasuke. _Not if I wanna live._

 _She infuses her chakra together,_ thought Kakashi as he got out of the ground. _Focuses it into her fist and releases it all at once. Something like that requires incredibly precise chakra control. Medical ninjutsu combined with monstrous strength. No, it's more than that. After all, she's more of a genjutsu type. She might just become a better kunoichi than the 5th Hokage._ Kakashi got into a stance in preparation. _You had your shot, now it's my turn._

 **(In the Hidden Sand)**

As Deidara flew around above the village, he looked down to see how many guards were watching.

"That's one...two...three. They only have three guards watching the skies. Hm." He then took a look at the buildings beneath him. "I can't help but appreciate the architecture of this village. It's so...artistic. Just another reason why it's truly worth destroying. Ha." He then reached into his pouch and molded some clay into three spiders. "Time for a little covert action."

Meanwhile, in the Kazekage's office, Jishaku was sitting at his desk when his eyes turned towards the window.

 **(In the Hidden Leaf)**

Kakashi was running into the woods after Sasuke and Sakura. He hid behind some bushes and with his Sharingan, looked around to see Sasuke behind a tree from up above in the branches and Sakura also behind a tree on the ground.

 _This is completely different from that time before,_ he thought.

His thoughts trailed back to their first training session together. Sasuke and Sakura had hidden well, but Naruto refused to hide, saying he was going to fight Kakashi head-on. He was brought back to reality when he was some shuriken coming his way. He jumped up to dodged them just in the nick of time. While in the air, he saw that Sasuke was leaping towards him with his sword drawn. He responded by placing his feet on a tree and pushing towards him with a kunai ready. They exchanged blows before passing each other. Kakashi threw some kunai at him while he was still in the air, which Sasuke responded to by grabbing a branch to dodge and hurling himself towards the ground to join Sakura.

"Time for today's lesson," said Kakashi. "This is Shinobi Battle Skills Rule Number One: Taijutsu."

He ran towards Sasuke and started throwing punches and kicks at Sasuke, who fell back by jumping up onto a tree branch.

"Ha! Got ya!" said Sakura as she ran towards Kakashi and started making attempts at punching him. None of them connected though as Kakashi dodged every one.

"It won't do any good if you can't hit me," he said.

Though he then suddenly found himself backed up against a tree. At the last minute, he dodged to the side and got away as Sakura's fist connected with the tree, splitting it in half like a toothpick. "That was a close one," he sighed in relief, only for his attention to be grabbed by Sasuke from above. They started exchanging blows again, each using his Sharingan to counter the others moves. This time, it was Kakashi that pulled back and leapt upwards to escape.

"Get back here!" Sasuke cried as he went after him. As he went up, Kakashi seemed to have disappear from his sight and reappeared behind him. "Dancing Leaf Shadow? But when did he…?" He was cut off as he was suddenly wrapped up in bandages like a mummy, making it so that he can't move his arms and legs. He then flipped them upside down and started spinning as they fell to the ground head first. "This is Lee's Primary Lotus!"

"It's Kakashi-sensei's Copy Ninjutsu," said Sakura as she watched.

Upon impact with the ground, a large dust cloud was created, blinding the area. As Kakashi stood up, he saw that the Sasuke he was fighting was a Shadow Clone.

"Nice move, Sasuke." He couldn't stay there for long though, as he saw Sakura coming down at him from above with a kick prepared. He managed to get out of the way though, causing Sakura to hit the ground, making the hole even bigger. He took this as an opportunity to catch his breath while he looked over to see the real Sasuke reunite with Sakura.

 _I remember when this use to be a lot easier,_ he thought. His thoughts went back to their very first training lesson together. He surprised Sakura with a Shadow Clone and Sasuke got buried up to his neck. _Even though they've been apart for 2 years, their teamwork is still pretty good. Although I was hoping to find out how this next volume ends, looks like I won't have time for reading._

"This is starting to get interesting," said Orochimaru from the sidelines.

"They're doing remarkably well," said Kabuto.

"Yes. Better than I thought they would," said Shizune.

"Just wait," said Tsunade, "you haven't seen anything."

"Now then, what should I do next?" asked Kakashi.

 **(In the Hidden Sand)**

Deidara took the three clay spiders and allowed them to fall. He made a hand sign, causing each of them to grow to the size of a human head in a puff of smoke. One of the guards didn't even notice it until he saw it resting on his arm.

"Huh? Where'd that weird thing come from?" That was all he could say before the spider jumped onto his face.

"They're not weird, they're perfect," said Deidara. He watched as the other two spiders jumped onto the faces of the watchmen. "Look at those fools. They have no appreciation for art. Hm. You have to feel art. And true art...is an explosion."

He then formed the Rat sign, causing the three spiders to explode, killing the watchmen.

 **(In the Hidden Leaf)**

The sun had now set, revealing the night sky. In this dark, Sasuke and Sakura were walking into the forest.

"From what I heard of those bells, they were coming from this direction," said Sasuke.

"But he might have led us here on purpose to draw us in, so be careful," said Sakura.

"You're right, let's not forget who we're dealing with."

They both stopped walking when they saw a figure come out of the trees. It was a young boy with spiky blond hair and whisker marks on his cheeks, wearing an orange and blue jumpsuit and a Hidden Leaf headband. They noticed he was covered in blood and had kunai in his back.

"It's Naruto," said Sasuke.

"He looks hurt," Sakura added.

The boy began to slowly walk towards them.

"...Sasuke...Sakura...You've gotta help me….I got away from the Hidden Shadow...I was able to escape...Please, help me...Sasuke...Sakura...Please…"

"Too bad he's not real," said Sasuke.

"You're right," said Sakura. "I'd give almost anything to be able to talk with Naruto for a while." She then formed the Tiger sign. "Release!" With that, the Naruto standing before them vanished, like he was never there. "I don't wanna play with your illusions."

"Don't think I can't see you there, Kakashi," said Sasuke. As he stuck out his left hand, lightning crackled from it, giving off the sound of thousands of birds. "Chidori!" he cried as he charged towards a tree. Upon impact, Kakashi jumped out from behind it as Sasuke's attack tore right through the tree, cutting it down.

"Well, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah?"

"Is there something you wanted to say?" she asked with a smile. "I'm not exactly sure I heard you clearly before." Kakashi answered with a face that showed that his ego just deflated a few sizes.

"Shinobi Battle Techniques Part 2: Genjutsu." He remembered back three years ago when they were fresh Genin. He pulled a similar trick on Sakura, using Sasuke instead of Naruto. Sakura easily fell for it and fainted at the sight. _It was so much easier to foul her back then._

"You'll have to come up with something better than that," said Sakura. "If you think we're gonna fall for that old trick again, you're crazy."

"You're not dealing with fresh Genin this time," said Sasuke.

"Really? I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Sasuke looked down and saw what appeared to be the two bells, having fallen off Kakashi's belt. After a moment, Sasuke simply smirked, confusing Kakashi. His eyes widened in surprise as he found a snake had wrapped itself around him out of nowhere. In a puff of smoke, Kakashi was replaced by a log. Dropping the log, the snakes slithered back into Sasuke's sleeve, who had been standing behind Kakashi. Sakura was surprised by this and looked over to the Sasuke standing next to her, only to see it vanish.

"You're not the only who can use genjutsu, Kakashi," he said.

Hiding in the leaves of a tree, Kakashi looked down at Sasuke. _He's improved more than I thought._

 **(In the Hidden Sand)**

Deidara had the bird fly downward. When it reached the roof of one of the buildings, he jumped off.

"Infiltration successful."

He said that, but was soon proven wrong. He looked up to see Jishaku standing right in front of him. He wore black pants and a long sleeved green shirt. Around his waist were two buckled belts, both hold rectangular containers.

"That'll be far enough for you."

 **(Ending: Shooting Star ~Shooting Star~: replace Naruto with Sasuke. Drawing flashback same, but Sasuke watches Naruto's training while hiding and smiles as he gives him the towel)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Naruto.**

Chapter 3: The Magnet Style

Deidara couldn't help but smirk as Jishaku stared at him. Jishaku saw him reach his hand into his pouch and acted in response. The two containers on his sides opened up and out came a cloud of iron sand. He manipulated the iron sand to go at Deidara, who jumped up into the air to dodge. The large clay bird swooped in and caught Deidara on its back. It flew through the air as the iron sand chased after it. It even flew through the alleys of the village, but that did nothing in any attempt to slow the sand down. It did, however, gain the attention of a few Sand shinobi as they flew by.

"What in the world?" one asked.

As he flew, Deidara looked down at his palm to see it was still chewing.

"Not much longer now," he said.

He looked up in surprise to see the iron sand had somehow gotten in front of him. He flew up into the sky to dodge, but the iron was in hot pursuit. He looked down to see Jishaku was staring hard right at him.

"You're pretty good, aren't you? Ha."

Jishaku gathered the iron sand in front of him and formed it into a small upside down pyramid. He jumped onto it and flew up till he was leveled with Deidara.

 _Hm. That kid sure comes in handy, doesn't he?_ Deidara thought. "Tell me, how did you guess I was an intruder?"

"Easy, there aren't any birds like that one in this desert," said Jishaku.

"Is that so? Ha."

"Now let me ask you something, do you know where the Hidden Shadow Village is?"

 **(Insert Opening Here)**

"The Hidden Shadow?" asked Deidara like he didn't know what Jishaku was talking about.

"We've received intel that you of the Akatsuki have been known to work for the Shadow."

"That right?" asked Deidara. "Sorry, kid, but the Shadow's the one who contacts us. I've got no idea where they are. Ha."

"Really?"

Meanwhile, back down on the roof, a shinobi's voice came.

"Hey, what's going on out there?" he asked as he came out. "Isn't anyone gonna tell me what's going-" He was cut off from shock though at the sight of the dead Sand shinobi with their face blown off. "Wha-What happened out here?" He looked up to see Jishaku in the sky facing off against Deidara. "Lord Kazekage."

In the Kazekage's manor, a teenage girl was sharing info on the situation with Yūra. She was around Jishaku's age. She had long green hair tied in a ponytail that went down to her back while she wore a rose dress with a slit up the left and the standard Sand shinobi jacket. On her head was a Hidden Sand headband.

"Well how the hell did this intruder get in the village? I thought you said you tightened security?"

"I did. Believe me, I'm just as surprised at this as you are. I'm waiting for a report on this from the men I had placed, but I've gotten nothing so far."

 **(At Sand Village Entrance)**

"That blasted Deidara," said Sasori. "He had to make a circus out of it. Get on with it Deidara. You know I don't like to be kept waiting."

 **(Kazekage Office)**

There was a knock on the door and the girl called.

"Hey Jishaku? You in there?" She opened the door to find it empty of people though. "Oh come on. He's gone now of all times?"

"Kogeta!" came a shinobi. "Ma'am, the Kazekage is fighting in the sky above the village!"

"He's what?!" She ran to one of the windows to indeed see Jishaku fighting Deidara. "Jishaku."

"Well, so much for a covert operation. Hm," said Deidara. He smiled as he pressed the button on the device that covered his left eye. "At least this way, I don't have to go looking for you."

 _So he came here for me, huh?_ thought Jishaku. _That's good. That means his attention will be on me._

He then lifted up both his hands, causing something that surprised Deidara. From a select spot in the village, iron sand that was hidden by being buried beneath regular sand rose up into the sky, increasing the amount of iron sand at Jishaku's disposal.

"Well, looks like he made preparations incase something like this happened. This could get messy. Ha." As he said that, his left palm continued to chew the clay.

 **(In the Hidden Leaf)**

Sasuke saw kunai coming at him and jumped to dodge them.

"So he's over there," he said as he threw some shuriken in that direction.

Kakashi saw them and jumped out of the way. When he landed, he soon found a shadow beneath him and looked up to see Sakura falling towards him with her fist cloaked in chakra.

 _If that even touches me, I'm done for._

He again leaped out of the way, allowing the fist to make contact with the ground. Upon said contact, the ground beneath Sakura completely shattered. The two teens soon chased him back to where they first started. They all now stood there, facing each other out in the open.

"Alright then," said Kakashi. "Shinobi Battle Skill Rule Number 3." The two got into a ready stance for what was to come. "Ninjutsu!" He brought his hands together and moved them at alarming speeds.

 _The speed of his hand signs,_ thought Sakura.

 _How can he be that fast?_ thought Sasuke.

When Kakashi finished, he brought his hand to his masked mouth.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

He breathed out a large fireball at the two youths who were forced to jump to the sides to dodge. As he landed, Sasuke looked up to see, at the head of the giant ditch made by the fireball, Kakashi was no longer there.

"Great, now where is he?" he asked as he looked around a bit. His attention was caught when he felt something grab his leg. He looked down to see Kakashi's hand coming out of the ground.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"

 _Not again!_ Sasuke thought as he was dragged down into the ground. Kakashi jumped out of the ground and looked at his handiwork with Sasuke's head sticking out of the ground and an annoyed look on his face. "Very funny, Kakashi. Chidori Stream!"

There was a large electrical explosion that tore up the ground around Sasuke. Kakashi watched as he jumped over his head and landed behind him. As he stood there, his whole body was covered in lightning.

 _He's emitting Chidori from his entire body,_ Kakashi thought.

Sakura soon joined him and the two charged towards Kakashi. In response, Kakashi sped through more hand signs and jumped back so that he was standing on the water's surface.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

The water around Kakashi rose up and took on the form of a dragon. The beast dove towards Sasuke and Sakura who appeared to be washed away by the water. When the water cleared, neither Sasuke or Sakura were anywhere to be seen. Kakashi was feeling somewhat relieved at that as he needed a moment to catch his breath. With the two young ninjas, they were currently jumping through the tree branches to put some distance between them and Kakashi.

"Fire Style, Earth Style, and now Water Style," said Sasuke. "It's one right after the other. Only Kakashi could have that many tricks up his sleeve."

"Well, they don't call him the Copy Ninja for nothing," said Sakura. "He's giving us an expert lesson in just how good he really is."

With the spectators, they were still enjoying the show.

"Looks like this could take a while," said Orochimaru.

"I'm starting to get worried," said Kabuto.

"Don't be," said Tsunade. "They still have plenty of time before sunrise."

"True," said Shizune.

"In fact, just watch. I've a feeling it'll be over sooner than you think."

 **(In the Hidden Sand)**

Kogeta was running to the roof tops with a group of Sand shinobi behind her. Ounce they got there, they all looked up to see the battle. Jishaku morphed the iron sand to look like lizard heads with long necks that exploded when they bit down on the clay birds, only to reform shortly after.

"Jishaku," said Kogeta.

Deidara continued to fly around on his clay bird with his hands still in his pouches as the large black lizard head chased after him, its mouth open and ready to bite down.

"Yes, it's almost time. Ha," he said.

When his palms were done chewing, they spat out the clay which Deidara molded into three birds each. He continued to fly around as the lizard head continued to chase after him. Ounce he got a chance to rest, he and Jishaku just stared at each other.

"The real fun's about to begin. Hm," he said.

Jishaku responded by having the lizard head lunge at him, which Deidara dodged. He through three of the birds out, which grew bigger in a puff of smoke, and had them fly around. They continued until they each came into contact with some of the iron sand flying around. Deidara sent out the other three and the same thing happened.

 _Odd explosives that are accurately guided to their targets,_ thought Jishaku. _Are these ninja tools or some kind of weird Jutsu?_

Deidara put his hands back in his pouches as he continued to smile.

"Think I'm getting the hand of this. Hm."

 **(In the Hidden Leaf)**

Sasuke and Sakura hid behind a tree together to catch their breaths.

"I shouldn't be surprised but that Sharingan of his is something else, isn't it" asked Sakura.

"No kidding," Sasuke answered.

"And his hand signs are faster than the human eye can follow. There's no way we'll ever be able to get past them. We don't have a chance of getting near those bells unless we can slow down his hands somehow."

"This is the kind of thing you'd expect of Kakashi," said Sasuke. "He's smarter than Shikamaru, his sense of smell is sharper than Kiba's, his Sharingan's stronger than mine, his Taijutsu's better than Lee's, and he has way more experience than any of us. All of us in one."

"Ok, but even Kakashi-sensei has to have some kind of weakness. He has to, right?"

Sasuke closed his eyes and began to think.

 _At a time like this,_ he thought, _you might find the difficult question has a simple answer._

Sasuke thought for a bit until he opened his eyes with a smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Kakashi was also hiding behind a tree to catch his breath.

"I never thought they'd give my Sharingan such a workout, but I should be able to hold them off till sunrise. Still got plenty of shuriken, and kunai, and Make-Out Tactics." He then reached for the book he had in his pouch but stopped himself before he could grab it. "No, I better not. It's not like the old days, when I could fight them off and read a book at the same time. But I'm dying to know what happens. It's obvious the main character has some sort of dark secret that's about to be revealed. Man, this is killing me. I don't know if I can wait."

Back with Sasuke and Sakura, the girl saw the smile on the boys face.

"Sasuke? I take you've thought of something?"

"Sakura, listen up," he said. Sasuke went and told her his plan.

" _Gasp_ Of course! I get it. That's brilliant!"

"All you need to do is think about it and it's obvious."

"If you're right, that'll be the one moment where we won't have to worry about his hand signs or his Sharingan."

"And that's when we strike."

"Sasuke, you really are a guinness!"

Back with Kakashi.

"I was so impressed with how much those two have improved I let myself get carried away. From now on I'm gonna wait and let them make the first move."

"No sense just standing around here," said Sasuke. "It's time for us to make the first move."

"Well ok. Let's do it," said Sakura.

 **(In the Hidden Sand)**

Deidara was still flying around on his bird as the lizard head made of iron sand chased after him. He took his hands out of his pouches and molded the clay into two birds that were longer than the others.

"Now then…" he said.

He through and birds out which grew in size. He then made a hand sign.

"This time, with feeling!"

As the clay birds flew toward him, Jishaku responded by having some of the iron sand try to grab them before they could reach him. With their quick movements though, they managed to get close to him. When they were close enough, Deidara had them explode. The blast being so big that it seemed to have completely swallowed up Jishaku.

"Jishaku!" cried Kogeta.

 **(In the Hidden Leaf)**

As Kakashi lay in wait, he smelled something with his nose.

"They're here," he said as he got up.

Sasuke and Sakura then leaped out of the tree leaves and were flying right at Kakashi.

"A frontal attack, huh?" he asked. "Getting a little over confident, aren't you?"

"Now, Sasuke!" cried Sakura.

"Hey, Kakashi! Guess what?!" cried Sasuke. "I know the final plot twist of Make-Out Tactics!" That caught Kakashi's attention in an instant.

"Wh-What?! No! NO!"

"Turns out the hero is actually-"

"No! Shut up! I don't wanna here!" Kakashi quickly brought his hands up to cover his ears, not wanting that ending of his book to be ruined. Unfortunately, he soon realized that it didn't help much when he saw Sasuke's mouth still moving. "Oh no! Because of the Sharingan, I can still read his lips!" He quickly closed his eyes to counter this. Not long after, when nothing happened, he opened his eyes to see Sasuke and Sakura looking at him while smiling. "Wha? Oh." He soon realized they were both holding a bell in their hands.

"A ninja must see through deception," said Sasuke.

"Isn't that right, Sensei?" asked Sakura as she flashed a peace sign.

"Ha. I deserve that," he said as the three of them began to laugh.

 **(In the Hidden Sand)**

As the smoke cleared, Deidara saw that in Jishaku's place was a large black ball. Flouting right next to it was an eye.

"It's like he's encased himself inside a cocoon." It's amazing he survived the blast, thought Deidara. If he survived it. Hm.

It was then that he noticed that a large amount of iron sand was rising up from below him and started to surrounded him as it took the form of a palace.

"Magnet Style: Palace Prison!"

 **(Insert Ending)**

 _-Please review-_


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